This Day in History

On November 19, 1863, famed orator Edward Everett delivered a speech dedicating a soldiers national cemetery. He spoke for over two hours. When he was finished, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech. It lasted two minutes, and became one of the defining moments of American history.




The Gettysburg Address

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.



Gettysburg

Thank you for posting that! One of history's most eloquent speeches.

How much of this do people know by heart? I can honestly say that I have heard/read it so many times now that I can do it! I don't know if it is necessarily something that will help me out later in life, but it is crazy little fact about me!

I can come close, but I'm not sure I could recite it all the way through.

I thought it was interesting when the address was read in Ken Burns' The Civil War. In the last line, I'd always assumed that the stresses were on "of the people, by the people, for the people." But they presented it as "of the people, by the people, for the people."

I've memorized other historical documents much better.

This kid's not half-bad either...

I love it! Kids have such a great capacity for memorization! (And what an adorable voice!) Thanks for posting that, Rob.

Savannah wrote:

(And what an adorable voice!)

Isn't it, though? Those words have never sounded better.

*Every* time you quote me, I expect to be fifed. I think you do that on purpose.

Savannah wrote:

*Every* time you quote me, I expect to be fifed. I think you do that on purpose.

Not so.

Rob wrote:

I've memorized other historical documents much better.